“I say, let’s decide where we will stand the bee-hives when we get them,” said Janet, practically.
“We can walk over to the gardens and look for a sunny sheltered spot,” ventured Miss Mason.
“And we can authorize Frances to find out from Mrs. Tompkins whether she has any swarms, or knows of one that can be purchased by us,” added Belle.
So they all started for the gardens to decide upon a suitable place to keep the bee-hives should they be able to buy any. It did not take long to choose the spot along the fence that divided the garden from the pasture lot. There was a row of fruit trees in a line alongside this fence, and they would not only offer the shade from a burning sun in summer, but also provide nectar and pollen in the spring when the blossoms were blowing, and they also afforded resting-places for home-coming laden bees, or for swarms which might wish to locate near the hive.
Being so near the vegetable gardens, Miss Mason suggested that Natalie show them how her gardens were doing. Always glad to display her knowledge and experience in gardening, Natalie led the way.
The first bed they reached held the lettuce plants discarded by Mr. Ames and left for Natalie to transplant. They had flourished in spite of the interference from Janet’s chickens, and now they looked very green and tempting.
“The lettuce is large enough to pull whenever Jimmy says we need any at the house,” remarked Natalie, proudly.
“Oh, hardly! I should say it would need another week’s growth, Natalie, before being worth pulling,” said Mrs. James.
“We—ll, maybe it will take until Sunday, but surely it will be ready then,” was Natalie’s reluctant admission.
The girls praised the lima beans, and the dwarf beans, and the beets, and all the other growing greens, but truth to tell they knew not one vegetable from another until Natalie or Mrs. James pointed them out by name.